Star Gazing
by colbert-238
Summary: On a peaceful night in Magnolia, the members of Fairy Tail watch the stars. Two short stories featuring Natsu and Lucy, and Gray and Juvia
1. Natsu and Lucy

_**Natsu and Lucy**_

It was funny. Thinking back to all her adventures in Fairy Tail, it was the quiet days that Lucy remembered the most. Those rare times when an empty request board forced most of her friends to take the day off. They were the kind of days when she could just sit back, open her favorite book, and relax.

Of course, even those days she rarely ended up spending alone.

Today in particular, both Natsu and Happy had yet to leave her home. Which was strange considering the former's notoriously short attention span. Still, the two weren't entirely frustrating when they behaved themselves, so Lucy remained silent throughout the day. While she quietly flipped page after page, Happy slept peacefully on the bed beside her.

The cat began to purr as she stroked his fur, an act that caused a wide smile to grace her lips.

"What's with the smile" Natsu asked from his spot close by. Until now, the pink-haired mage had been sitting on the floor by her bed, tossing a fireball casually back and forth in his hands.

"Happy's purring" she answered simply.

Raising an eyebrow, Natsu reared his back onto the bed. No doubt listening intently, he went silent for several seconds. "Huh" he said with a grin, "that's cool." Already on his feet, the clearly uninterested man looked closely around the room. "This is getting boring, we should go out."

Lucy nearly fell off the bed at her friend's words. Trying unsuccessfully to hide the new color of her face, she closed her book alongside an awkward cough. "Uh...well..." she said in between coughs, "I guess we could try it, you... really want to go out with me?."

"Yeah" Natsu nodded, opening a window that faced the street outside. "It looks like a nice night. I think I can get us onto the roof from here."

Watching her friend scramble out the window, Lucy allowed her blush to slowly fade. "Oh, you meant go 'outside'."

"Well duh" Natsu said, obviously confused by her realization. "What did you think I meant?."

"Um...nothing, it's not important." Lucy kept her head aimed at the floor on her walk across the room. "Just be careful climbing around like that, I have to pay for anything you break."

It wasn't the best attempt she could've made to change the subject, but it worked nonetheless. Natsu shrugged away the situation, perched carefully on the open windowsill. "Yeah yeah" he said while rolling his eyes, "just grab onto my back."

Lucy did what was asked of her. With her arms wrapped tight her friend's back, the teenage girl was instantly whisked out the window. Natsu jumped carelessly over the street below, using two flames under his feet to lift them higher into the air. Once they were level with the houses roof, he backed up, landing feet first on the slanted surface.

Hands entwined to keep from falling, both mages sat down side by side. It was only then that Lucy allowed her gaze to drift away from her friend. Natsu was right, it was definitely a nice night to be outside. A starry sky shined beautifully over Magnolia, showering the entire town in moonlight.

The canal that ran by her house also shined bright, reflecting not only the stars above, but Natsu and herself as well. A quick smile to her own reflection, and the teenage girl felt a warm sensation travel through her body. With a sudden lurch in her stomach, she realized Natsu had never let go of her hand.

"Hey Natsu" she said softly.

"Yeah" the man replied, his gaze still straight ahead.

Now blushing uncontrollably, Lucy leaned over and gently kissed her friend's cheek. "Thanks for staying with me today, I had fun."

"What are you talking about?" Natsu asked, once again confused by her actions. "We haven't done a single thing all day."

Lucy couldn't help but smile. Natsu was trying not to blush, and failing miserably. As a cold gust of wind blew by, she scooted closer to her friend's side, and placed her head on his shoulder. "Exactly."


	2. Gray and Juvia

_**Gray and Juvia**_

As much as she tried to hold it back, Juvia felt a sizable yawn escape her. From her seat at the bar, she looked around at the dimly lit guildhall around her. This late in the day, nearly everyone had gone home for the night. But even after only three mages remained in the building, the rain woman refused to leave.

Not until her beloved awoke from his slumber.

Gray had fallen asleep shortly after arriving at the guildhall this afternoon. Through the many hours that followed, Juvia never once left the man's side. Weary eyed, and needing desperately to pee, she began to shake as she waited for him to move.

"You can use the restroom Juvia" Mirajane said from behind the bar, "I promise Gray will still be here when you get back." While she spoke, the white-haired mage was busy cleaning the counter between them.

Juvia looked up and promptly shook her head. "Juvia will not leave this spot until he awakens. Ever since joining Fairy Tail, Juvia has walked home with her beloved whenever possible."

In response, Mira giggled as she continued to clean.

"What?" Juvia asked, confused by her friend's reaction.

"Oh nothing" Mira answered in a coy tone, "it's just cute how much you care about him."

A faint blush on her cheeks, Juvia looked to the sleeping man beside her. Gray was snoring lightly, and his body shifted every few minutes, causing his stool to creak underneath him. Just being this close caused her heartbeat to increase dramatically. A small part of her wanted nothing more than to inch closer, but a sudden twinge of fear stopped her from doing so.

Instead, she switched her gaze back across the bar. She must have zoned out longer than she thought, because Mirajane was already finished cleaning. Now wearing a light coat over her usual attire, the white-haired mage walked around the bar.

"Gray has never been one to let his emotions show easily" the girl said during her walk towards the door. "He really does like you, he just needs time to realize how much."

Before Juvia could fully take in her friend's words, a slight movement drew her attention elsewhere. At the same time Mirajane walked out the door, Gray awoke alongside a deep yawn. The man stretched as he opened his eyes, slowly taking in the scene around him. When one of his outstretched arms almost grazed her cheek, Juvia had to stop herself from falling to the floor.

"Oh, hey Juvia" Gray said groggily, still fighting back a powerful yawn. "Looks like everyone else went home huh."

"Mirajane just left" Juvia explained. The rain woman stood to her feet as Gray did the same. "Natsu and Lucy were here earlier, but they left when they couldn't find a decent job."

Gray nodded his understanding. "Yeah, it's been a slow week. So why are you still here?."

The question took Juvia off guard. Not because she wasn't expecting it, but because she had no explanation that would sound normal. It had to be passed midnight by now, no lie could possibly explain why she was here this late at night. She hated the idea of going for broke, but the situation wasn't giving her much of a choice.

"Juvia...just thought that maybe..." she said with her face to the floor, "maybe we could walk home together."

Instantly destroying every bit of tension between them, Gray shot a wide grin in the girl's direction. "You waited all day to ask me that?."

Juvia opened her mouth to respond, but for the first time in her life, found it too dry to do so. A simple nod, and Gray led their way to the door. Outside, a cold gust of wind caused her body to shiver. As she waited for her beloved to lock the guild's main entrance, she rubbed her hands together for warmth.

"Juvia enjoyed spending the day with you" she said, her own words causing her to blush.

After a loud 'clunk' told him the door was secure, Gray turned to her with a confused glance. "Seriously?, I was asleep the entire time. I couldn't of been very good company."

It was hard to meet the man's eyes as she spoke, but Juvia forced herself to keep his gaze. "That doesn't matter to Juvia. Awake or asleep, you're still fun to be around."

"Really?" Gray said, his tone even more confused than before. "Well now I feel bad, you spent the whole day right beside me and I completely ignored you. Tell ya what-."

Taking Juvia's hand, the ice mage walked his friend away from the guildhall. During that walk, Juvia wondered if the man could her heart pounding. Because she certainly could.

"Lets just stay here a while, maybe watch the stars." Gray stopped at the first step leading down the hill. With all of Magnolia sprawled out in front of them, both mages sat down instinctively. "If that's okay with you?."

"Of course" Juvia's answer didn't miss a beat. A star filled sky above her, and Gray's hand holding her own. She couldn't think of a better way to end the night.


End file.
